Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-04-23-Speech-4-405"
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"en.20090423.65.4-405"2
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank everyone for this responsible debate and their support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans. I share the concern expressed in this discussion by Members such as Mrs Pack, Mr Swoboda and Mr Maaten regarding the political development of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
At times it seems as if Bosnia and Herzegovina has an unfailing ability to create and actually renew political tensions, even though common sense dictates that we should be expecting improved developments to move in another direction and political reconciliation to find a place in the political future of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
I agree with Mr Maaten that all the countries of the Western Balkans share the view that one day they will be able to join the European Union if they meet the conditions of Union membership, based as they are on the Copenhagen criteria. This is also true of Bosnia and Herzegovina; in the case of the conditions that apply to them, there will be no shortcuts or bargain discounts, and if anyone assumes there will, he or she is wrong. It is very important that this proper way of thinking gains a firm foothold in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s own political debate, so that its citizens can draw their own conclusions about what sort of policy they have the right to expect from democratically elected politicians.
I see Bosnia and Herzegovina’s future as follows, and my view is based on collaboration with Javier Solana, with whom we have produced several communications on the country’s future and the role of the European Union there. Firstly, our aim is to move away from the Dayton era to the Brussels era, that is, from the era of the international community’s High Representative to the European Union’s reinforced presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina. That also probably means the ‘two hat’ system in the case of the EU Special Representative and Head of the European Commission Representation, so that we can exploit the political and economic resources the European Union has in the best possible way.
Obviously, a protectorate cannot apply for EU membership, and for that reason this transition is an organic ingredient, a vital element in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s closer relations with the European Union, and it is because of that too that it is in the interests of politicians in the country and its citizens in particular that the terms and conditions of this process of change are met.
This issue also has political importance, because it is too easy to blame the international community for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s problems, when people do not want to look in the mirror. It is too easy to blame the High Representative when you should be negotiating and trying to reach agreement with your fellow countrymen and women. I hope that in this respect Bosnia and Herzegovina’s political culture will improve and mature and that the country’s media will also take responsibility for ensuring that negative, nationalistic language does not get any more space than is the case at the present time in the country.
Secondly, the country needs to reform its constitution, in order for it to be able to build a viable system of government. At the moment, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s system of government is too costly, too ineffective and simply incompatible with membership of the European Union. Accordingly, the constitution needs to be reformed – through evolution, not revolution – and I am pleased that there are some signs that leading politicians are discussing matters along these lines.
Thirdly and lastly, visa waiver is a crucial part of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s future in Europe, and I am sure that, thus equipped, the country will be able to enter the European mainstream, which will surely be in the interests of the country itself, its citizens, and the European Union too."@en1
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